day 1202: Protected Interests

"Workers who tend a fig tree well are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.”

We all want to do well at work. We all want to also be rewarded for doing well. It is when we think we are doing well and we are not rewarded to our expectations that we tend to get antsy, upset, disheartened and worse yet, disenfranchised. We then make decisions on how long to stay at the same job and how hard we will work and how much we will or won’t put of ourselves into the job at hand. We all have examples of when we think the rewards and recognition doesn’t match up to our expectations and how we feel when that happens. It is a very hard conversation to have with our employers and sometimes we don’t even know with who we should have the conversation. Should it be our boss directly or some intermediaries like an HR person? Regardless of who it is, it is still a difficult conversation to have and one that if you can avoid entirely, then all the better. But what are we to do in the situation where something has to change? Other than the leverage of leaving the company, which is not the purpose or the desired outcome, there is not much we can say to potentially change the results.  On the other hand, there are rewards to be gained if know the game that is being played. The key to the rewards desired is in knowing, fulfilling and protecting the interests of our employers. This sounds so simple and should be easy to do. But, it is not as clear as it looks on the surface. What are sometimes hard to discern are the true interests of the company, the ones that when pressed and threatened that the company would be stopped in their tracks. Listen carefully to what you hear your boss and CEO saying about where the company is putting its resources (human and financial) and align your work to those goals and objectives. If you are seen as one who is committed to protecting those interests you will be rewarded.

One thing the Bible tells us is that there are certain areas that an employer cares more about than others and that if we are concentrating our efforts and work in those areas that "protect the interests" that we are more likely to be rewarded than not. See the verse above from Proverbs. I would also add that if you are one who shows other that you care this passionately about the success and sustainability of the company that you will be a role model to others. That in itself gives you a platform to share and tell others why you are so committed.

Reference: Proverbs 27:28 (New Living Testament)

day 438: Performance Feedback

It's the middle of the year and a time when many companies will do their mid-year performance feedback or even an annual performance review. Sitting down and receiving a performance review and the feedback that comes from it is never easy. As much as we all want to say that we are open to any and all feedback and reviews, when we are sitting there our hands get a little clammy and our breath shortens a bit and we do all we can to not become defensive when we hear things that we don't agree with or feels unsubstantiated. The hardest part about all of this is that we always see ourselves different than others and sometimes we aren't in touch at all with the perception of our boss or peers. So, when we have a sit down and we hear things that we don't want to hear or we hear something new, then we tend to clam up, get defensive and try to argue and countermand what is being said. The truth is that many times we deserve the feedback and if we would only be open to listening and taking it all in for adjustments, then we actually might learn something new about ourselves that we didn't know before. The best way to gauge what is actual is to compare the feedback with the actions and results for the period being evaluated. What we don't always factor in is the real actions that did or didn't drive results. We get so caught up in our efforts that we lose our objectivity. We would be best to follow and listen to God's words in Jeremiah 17:10: "I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." If we can accept that our actions are the driver of our rewards then there never should be any reason to fear or be concerned by performance feedback. Even in our performance reviews, God gives us a way to think and react. Who says that God can't come to work with us every day!

Reference: Jeremiah 17:10 (New Living Testament)

day 373: You Get What You Act For...

Within a company or a work team there is a distribution of attitudes regarding work and rewards. When I write rewards I mean not only financial rewards but also the rewards that are many times more important, like recognition and responsibility. This distribution of attitudes ranges from those who work hard, keep their head down, ask and need little to nothing in the way of recognition or attention, to those who test the bottom threshold of their performance and then expect the company to reward and recognize them above others. This latter group is the hard group to deal with as they not only are hard to manage but their attitude can drag down others and unfortunately, influence others who will fall into their way of thinking and acting. I once had a peer who was like this and while the rest of us were giving it our all and more, he would not pull his weight but he was the first one to be asking for a raise or promotion. Fortunately, our manager was smart enough to see through this employee's M.O. and it finally caught up with my peer. No one was sorry to see him go, but everyone felt sorry for him as he had such potential but he just used his energy to cover is tracks too much instead of just working like the rest of us. It's very easy to understand how rewards should be doled out. God tells us how He does it in Jeremiah 17:10; "I give people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." If this is good enough for God, then the same can hold for us as we think through how we should work and what we should expect. If our actions deserve reward, then we will get them. If our actions are not worth of reward, then we shouldn't expect to receive anything. If we fall into the trap of expecting something we didn't earn, then we will find ourselves unhappy, frustrated and always searching for something that isn't there and isn't really yours.

Reference: Jeremiah 17:10 (New Living Testament)

day 94: Returned Rewards

We all want to do well at work. We all want to also be rewarded for doing well. It is when we think we are doing well and we are not rewarded to our expectations that we tend to get antsy, upset, disheartened and worse yet, disenfranchised. We then make decisions on how long to stay at the same job and how hard we will work and how much we will or won’t put of ourselves into the job at hand. We all have examples of when we think the rewards and recognition doesn’t match up to our expectations and how we feel when that happens. It is a very hard conversation to have with our employers and sometimes we don’t even know with who we should have the conversation. Should it be our boss directly or some intermediaries like an HR person? Regardless of who it is, it is still a difficult conversation to have and one that if you can avoid entirely, then all the better. But what are we to do in the situation where something has to change? Other than the leverage of leaving the company, which is not the purpose or the desired outcome, there is not much we can say to potentially change the results. One thing the Bible tells us is that there are certain areas that an employer cares more about than others and that if we are concentrating our efforts and work in those areas that we are more likely to be rewarded than not. In Proverbs 27:18 we are told; “Workers who tend a fig tree well are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.” The key to the rewards desired is in knowing, fulfilling and protecting the interests of our employers. This sounds so simple and should be easy to do. But, it is not as clear as it looks on the surface. What are sometimes hard to discern is the true interests of the company, the ones that when pressed and threatened that the company would be stopped in their tracks. Listen carefully to what you hear your boss and CEO saying about where the company is putting its resources (human and financial) and align your work to those goals and objectives. If you are seen as one who is committed to protecting those interests you will be rewarded. I would also add that if you are one who shows other that you care this passionately about the success and sustainability of the company that you will be a role model to others. That in itself gives you a platform to share and tell others why you are so committed.

Reference: Proverbs 27:28 (New Living Testament)